Dear Kitten Fund sponsors,

It feels like we’ve been waiting for a very long time for new kittens, doesn’t it? And we’re not quite there yet, though I have a friend who adopted a stray this winter, and the cat gave birth to a healthy litter – in mid-February! I guess early kittens are just another (happy) side effect of this year’s unusually mild winter…so we’d better be ready, and soon!

Since this year’s kitten season has yet to take off, we’re still keeping tabs on our remaining babies of 2011. Six of our youngsters went home this month, as Clem, Peanut, Butter, Jelly, and LJ and DJ went to their forever homes, and MJ and JJ took a big step and joined the big kitties in suite B. Samantha is still of two minds when it comes to people, though bit by bit she’s trusting us more and more, and Sadie has decided to be the sweet kitty we all thought she could be.

Sadie’s still a bit of a medical mystery, though. The twitch she developed has progressed, even when we put her on an anti-convulsion medicine, and even the neurologist we consulted has no idea what’s causing her to twitch.

We’re debating what to do next; a steroid might help calm the spasms, but it might also mask a bigger problem, not to mention that going on steroids permanently at such a young age wouldn’t be good long-term for Sadie. We may find more clues if we send Sadie for a full neuro workup, which would include an MRI and spinal tap. Hopefully we can get some kind of prognosis for sweet Sadie.

I’m so happy to tell you, though, that Sadie shows no hesitation in approaching me when I visit now. She’s not exactly cuddly, but I think she has it in her to be a supreme cuddlebug, and sooner, rather than later. Last time I visited her, she was ready to play, and flopped over onto the blanket next to me after a spell. I could tell that she was in that drowsy, about-to-pass-out sleepy mode that only young creatures display, but she didn’t quite trust me enough to fall asleep. I stayed only a minute longer, so she could finally take a proper nap.

Thank you, as always, for your support of our youngest residents. Soon we will have some teeny tiny babies, and like Sadie, they may have some big challenges to face. With your help, we head into kitten season with the energy, resources, and financial support to help these little ones in whatever way they need.